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Beloved unknown fern dying

aleksa.stanisicaleksa.stanisic Posts: 2
in Problem solving
Dear all,

I bought this beautiful fern a few months ago (no name) and it was growing quite happily during summer indoors at my windowsill. Leaves are hairy. However, now when the weather got colder leaves started turning brown and falling off. I have a feeling the soil doesn't dry quick enough now and the roots are rotting. Could you help me identify and rescue it?

Thanks in advance, 
Aleksa  


Posts

  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    edited October 2019
    Hi @aleksa.stanisic I think this one may be tricky!  It looks more like a perennial, shrub or even tree to me.  :)  Was it in the houseplant section or could it have come from the outdoor section?  It reminds me of something but can't quite put my finger on it.
    Anyway, I'm sure someone here will be able to ID it for you. :)
    If it is an outdoor plant, it may just be losing it's leaves as normal in the autumn but the main causes of houseplants looking like that is lack of or too much water or possibly the amount of light it needs.  Until we can ID it, I'd check that the soil isn't soggy or bone dry.
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • LoxleyLoxley Posts: 5,698
    It's not a fern, but beyond that I can't really help!
    "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour". 
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    I agree it's not a fern.
    If you crush a leaf, does it have any smell?

    For whatever reason, it's losing its leaves so wont need much water and as you say too much will rot the roots after a while, so hold off watering again until the pot feels lighter and the compost is drying a bit.

    I wondered if it could be some sort of artemesia if it had hairy leaves

    Billericay - Essex

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  • Papi JoPapi Jo Posts: 4,254
    Not a fern,
  • micearguersmicearguers Posts: 646
    During winter the indoors climate tends to get very dry. Perhaps the plant just wants to rest. Ideally move it to a cooler place that does not have dry air, and reduce watering. A search will give many results like this: https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/winter-care-for-houseplants/ . You probably also need to find out what your plant is!

  • aleksa.stanisicaleksa.stanisic Posts: 2
    So, on a fern specialist forum, it was identified as Grevillea robusta or Silky Oak! It is actually a tree sapling! I bought it in one nursery in the fern section. The upright stem with leaves and buds confused me, but the shape of the leaves is really fern like. After some googling, it turns out my intuition was right after all. Tree grows in drier regions of Australia, so I need to cut the water down. I was keeping it moist thinking it's a fern.
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    Interesting. RHS website says it's grown as an annual for it's fern-like foliage so that might be why it was grouped in that section. It reminds me more of carrot leaves though personally.

    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • mrtjformanmrtjforman Posts: 331
    edited October 2019
    what are the white spots on the leaves? It's hard to tell and you said the leaves have hairs but to me it looks a bit like insect damage from spider mites or the likes

    I would also say that the pot is too small for it beeing a tree
  • PeggyTXPeggyTX Posts: 556
    Don't have any earthly clue as to what it is, but it looks very much like the pretty green branches of leaves commercial florists put in cut flower arrangements here in the States. 
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